Utah's U.S. Rep. Owens calls Trump's racist post 'wildly offensive and inappropriate'
Trump shared a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys, then removed the post.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYThe Salt Lake Tribune is an established regional newspaper, and the article identifies its reporter. The brief report relies on named officials’ statements and provides limited independent context.
- Source type — Established local newspaper with a regional reporting operation.
- Author attribution — A reporter is named.
- Editorial standards — The article attributes quoted claims to the officials who made them and distinguishes reported information.
- Source diversity — Several officials are quoted, though most sources share the same critical view of the post.
The report provides multiple direct statements from named officials and a clear account of the post’s removal. It offers little direct response from Trump beyond the reported staffer explanation and limited context about the post.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article includes several perspectives among Utah Republicans, but nearly all quoted assessments condemn the post. The reported staffer explanation is brief, and Trump is not directly quoted.
- Source diversity — Several named officials speak, but they largely express the same view.
- Counterarguments presented — A reported claim that a staffer was responsible provides limited counter-context; no fuller response is included.
- Opinion vs reporting — The article reports statements and attributes judgments rather than presenting them as the outlet’s own verdict.
- Omitted context — The report gives little detail about Trump’s response beyond the staffer attribution.
The article reports Republican officials’ criticism of Trump’s post in straightforward language, attributing the comments to their speakers. Its focus on criticism does not, by itself, establish a partisan lean.
- Language tone — Mostly factual narration with quoted evaluations attributed to officials.
- Source selection — The report features Republicans criticizing a Republican president; it includes a reported staffer explanation but no extended response from Trump.
- Framing — The article is framed around Utah Republicans’ reactions to the post.
Utah Rep. Burgess Owens and other Republicans criticized President Donald Trump after he shared a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys. Trump removed the post, and his account reportedly blamed a staffer.
After Trump shared the video on Truth Social, Owens called its imagery “wildly offensive and inappropriate” and said it should never have been shared or created. Trump removed the post the next day; the article says he reportedly blamed a staffer.
Sen. John Curtis and Rep. Mike Kennedy also condemned the post. The article notes that Curtis had recently criticized the administration over the Minnesota shooting and that Utah Reps. Blake Moore and Celeste Maloy supported his call for an investigation.
Community verdict
19 VOTESCounts every outlet’s report of this story. See all 16
Votes cast on this page
Votes cast on this page: ▲ 0 · ◆ 0 · ▼ 0
People in this story
SWIPE →President who shared and later removed the video
Utah representative who supported Curtis’s call for an investigation
Utah representative who supported Curtis’s call for an investigation
Department of Homeland Security secretary criticized by Curtis after a Minnesota shooting
Utah senator who criticized Trump’s post and separately called for oversight of a Minnesota shooting
Utah representative who criticized Trump’s post
Kentucky senator whose call for Trump administration officials to testify Curtis supported
Part of a bigger story
15 OUTLETSOutlets agree that Trump shared a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes and that the post was later removed. Their coverage also reports criticism from lawmakers, including Republicans. Left-leaning outlets foreground lawmakers’ condemnation and use more explicitly critical language. Center outlets report criticism alongside White House explanations and a range of lawmakers’ reactions. Right-leaning outlets similarly pair Tim Scott’s criticism with the White House’s explanation and an adviser’s account, rather than adopting the condemnatory language.
- ARTICLES
- 16
- OUTLETS
- 15
- AVG CRED
- 68
- Yahoo News · Thomas Massie condemns Trump for 'racist' post showing Obamas as apes
- deadlinedetroit.com · Deadline Detroit | Republican John James on Trump's Racist Posting: 'I'm Glad to See That Trash Has Been Taken Down'
- Winnipeg Free Press · Congressional Black Caucus chair says Trump's post on the Obamas shows a 'bigoted and racist regime'
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